Back in elementary school, snow used to be the best thing ever to happen. No matter what time of the year it was, my friends and I considered any form of wintry weather to be a blessing. In our young minds, snow meant no school and a day full of sledding, snowball fights and snowmen. It meant playing outside until our noses turned red, and we lost the sensation in our fingers. It meant laughing and spending time with our families and friends and appreciating every minute of it. Snow used to mean spending a cozy day inside surrounded by the people we love.
Nowadays, it feels like all that has changed.
As young adults, those same friends of mine are overbooked with extracurricular activities, sports and household responsibilities to the extent that snow only gets in the way of their hectic lives. Instead of praying for a snowstorm, we often find ourselves praying against it.  But now all it means is not being able to see our friends for days and being “stuck” in a house with our families. There isn’t as much sledding and snowball-hurling going on now; it seems as though being outside in the snow and getting our clothes wet isn’t as fun as it used to be.
Even though a lot of my friends groan when they hear of a snow of ice in the forecast, though, I can’t handle my excitement. Maybe it’s because I’m not old enough yet, but I try to enjoy snow days the best I can. I take my younger brothers outside and go sledding with them. I throw teach my youngest brother how to throw snowballs with precision. We make snow angels, and laugh when one of us falls on the slippery ice.
I do this because I think we should take advantage of snow days and wintry storms. Instead of seeing them as nuisances that interfere with our daily lives, we should make the most of them. I don’t think there’s ever an age where you have to start hating snow; I think people just learn to adopt a mindset where they take snow for granted. I believe snow should be looked at through a child’s eyes, as a blessing to slow down one’s already fast-paced routine.
So the next time you find yourself dreading the next snowstorm, stop and look at the situation the way you would have years ago, when you were just another curious kid. Maybe go outside when the snow starts falling, and throw a snowball or two. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find that the little kid in you is stronger than you thought.
By Afsah Khan